Neuroanatomy of financial decisions | Neurología (English Edition)

Article information

Abstract

Introduction

Neuroeconomics is a new science that studies the brain processes involved in taking decisions, particularly related to economy and it has experienced an important advance in recent years due to the development of new neuroimaging techniques, basically functional magnetic resonance imaging. The aim of this paper it to carry out a review of the literature on the different neurological mechanisms involved in taking financial decisions, the concerned brain structures and the diseases that can affect them.

Sources

We made a non systematic review of the literature in primary (PubMed) and secondary (Tripdatabase and Cochrane Library) bibliographic databases. We also used bibliography given by the Asociación Española de Neuroeconomía.

Development

Brain reward and loss aversion systems suppose a balance that makes us take one or another decision. Dopamine plays an important role on it and several brain structures have been involved in this balance such as the amygdala, the insula, the medial prefrontal cortex, the anterior and posterior cingulated cortex, the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area. The alteration of this balance may produce inappropriate financial behaviours that may occur in common diseases including depression, mania, alcoholism, gambling and several impulse control disorders.

Conclusions

Neurologists should define our role in this interdisciplinary field due to the privileged position of our specialty to study how the brain works and due to the potential growing of this science in the near future.

Keywords:

Neuroeconomics

Nucleus accumbens

Reward system

Medial prefrontal córtex

Amygdala

Insula

Orbito-frontal cortex

Resumen

Introducción

La neuroeconomía es una nueva disciplina que estudia los procesos cerebrales de toma de decisiones, fundamentalmente económicas y que ha adquirido un importante avance en los últimos años con el desarrollo de las modernas técnicas de neuroimagen, como la resonancia magnética cerebral funcional. Este artículo realiza una revisión de la bibliografía sobre los diferentes mecanismos neurológicos implicados en la toma de decisiones financieras, las estructuras cerebrales involucradas y las enfermedades que pueden afectarlos.

Fuentes

Realizamos una revisión no sistemática de la literatura, tanto en fuentes de información primaria (PubMed) como de información secundaria (Tripdatabase y Cochrane Library). También se utilizó bibliografía cedida por la Asociación Española de Neuroeconomía.

Desarrollo

Los sistemas de recompensa cerebral y de aversión a la pérdida suponen un equilibrio que hará que optemos por una u otra decisión. En este equilibrio en el que la dopamina desempeña un papel primordial, se han visto involucradas varias estructuras cerebrales como la amígdala, la ínsula, la corteza prefrontal medial, las cortezas cinguladas anterior y posterior, el núcleo accumbens y el área tegmental ventral. Su alteración supone la producción de conductas financieras inapropiadas como tienen lugar en enfermedades tan frecuentes como la depresión, la manía, el alcoholismo, la ludopatía o diversos trastornos del control de impulsos.

Conclusiones

Los neurólogos deberíamos definir nuestro papel en esta ciencia pluridisciplinar, dada la posición de privilegio de nuestra especialidad para estudiar el funcionamiento cerebral, y al más que posible crecimiento que se espera que la neuroeconomía adquiera en un futuro cercano.

Palabras clave:

Neuroeconomía

Núcleo accumbens

Sistema de recompensa cerebral

Área prefrontal medial

Amígdala

Ínsula

Corteza orbitofrontal

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